22 entries from November 2006

Well Christmas is coming so you'll all be heading off to the shops looking for that perfect present. Here are a few tips from our local Northcote goody shop:

Who can resist any item that claims "To rank first among similar similar products."

"This product is most welcome among kids!"

I know it looks a little like a Star Wars product (it even has a picture of Chewbacca) but that's purely a coincidence, just like this next toy looks a little like it has something to do with The Incredibles.

Yeah I know he looks like Mr Incredible... but so does Mat Unwin! Anyway, I certainly don't recall Mr Incredible having "A kind of voice that comes from deep place in mind."

This 'music and lamp beautiful' is actually a magic wand.

A very 'funny amusedly' magic wand....

For the musically inclined, this is one neat saxophone! It has so many programmed tunes including rap tunes that will leave your audience crying "Get array! Get array!"

Finally, the ultimate toy for any child. A new 'little sister' with a 'guarantee of 100% satisfaction'

Nov 21-Nov 24 and David Blaine will be presenting his latest escape challenge. Enduring then escaping from a spinning gyroscope 40 feet above the ground. (True). Read the press release here and see the promotional site here.

We just had Tom Ogden here in Melbourne over the weekend and it was fantastic. Tom not only lectured at the 'Trick or Treat Magic Cafe', but he also spent over an hour with one of Tim & Tammii's magic classes. Tom's wealth of knowledge and experience was evident during his three hour plus lecture which covered so many subjects including card tricks, children's shows, stand up comedy routines, cruise ship tips and much more. (He also tipped a new book he's writingon 'Street Magic').

We got to spend the next day with Tom and several local magicians before he boarded a cruise ship where he was working as the feature entertainer. It was really like a mini-convention!

Speaking of conventions... if you had the choice of any magician/s to be special guests at an Aussie magic convention, who would you choose? I know TIM POSSIBLE would be high on my wish list, but I must admit that any convention featuring 'The Exotic Magic of Stallion' is going to get me signing up!

Time for an semi-annual clean-up of other magic blogs. Some of you may have found the list of 'Referring Sites' in the lower right hand column of this blog useful, as you went exploring other magic pages to read, but unfortunately some bloggers post quite irregularly while others just vanish into cyberspace leaving nothing more than a 'FILE NOT FOUND' message.

So there's good news and there's bad news.

First the bad news. These blogs have been deleted from our referring sites list for the following reasons:

Australian Magic Resources - useful page, but it had been hacked beyond all recognition.

Scot's Magical Mystery Tour - fun blog, but the last post was on May 31.

Dave V Magic - FILE NOT FOUND

Swimsean - July 12 was his last post as he headed off to concentrate on swimming.

Wizards Ball - on Oct 8 he wrapped up his blog and told us all to "go home!"

Intensely Magic - Last post on Sep 27... nothing since then.

Magic Tricks - Last post Oct 20, but it was nothing more than a shop front really.

Sarcastic Magician - Last post Dec 10... 2005!

Magicentric - FILE NOT FOUND

Days of Whine & Neurosis - Last post June 26.

Escamoteurettes - Last post June 27.

But the good news is that we've just added all of these magic blogs to our list. If you get a chance to visit a few, let us know what you think in our COMMENTS section.

We saw 'The Prestige' last night. Very fascinating and entertaining film. (Sue-Anne thought it's portrayal of magicians to be extremely accurate). The film has so many twists and turns it's not appropriate to talk about with people who haven't seen it before, so if you HAVE seen the film and would like to talk about it, click on the COMMENTS word below.

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM - do NOT read the COMMENTS below or it really will spoil the trick.

These are the times I worry. My Grandfather used to go to the Ivanhoe Baptist Church. I drive past there quite often to visit Trick or Treat Magic Cafe. Recently I've noticed a sign up there as part of their Livingstone Centre Community Outreach offering courses in Hatha Yoga.

Unfortunately, the spirituality of yoga doesn't really mesh very well with the core principles of the Baptist Church. It only takes a minute to do a google search and read what Hatha Yoga is all about.

The Livingstone Centre also offer courses in 'TST' - Learn The Five Tibetan Exercises Rites and Energy Breathing.

I know to many people it will appear that I am being intolerant, I'm not. Christianity is about a personal relationship with the living God. Yoga is all about finding spirituality within ourselves. With Christianity, we are saved by God's grace, with Yoga we save ourselves by our own effort. The Bible says that no man can serve two masters, but for a Christian to be involved in Yoga, that's exactly what they're doing.

In essence, I have no objection to Yoga classes in public halls, private buildings or ashrams, but when a Christian Church appears to be endorsing Yoga practices... something is not quite right.